Hershey RV Show Kicks Off as Hundreds ‘Storm the Gates’ – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News

Jon Ferrando

Blue Compass RV President & CEO Jon Ferrando said the dealer group was “super excited to be back at Hershey.”

“This is the first time we’re coming together under the one Blue Compass RV brand,” he noted. “We’ve got over 60 motorhomes in the Entegra display and the Newmar display, kicking off the show here this morning. We’re expecting 50,000-plus RV customers to be coming through the gates, and we’re excited to have our stores come together from coast to coast to greet the customers as one Blue Compass.”

Keystone Director of Marketing Christy Spencer was greeting dealers throughout the massive Keystone display directing them to the Goshen, Ind.-based manufacturer’s brand new Cougar Midnight Edition.

Keystone Cougar Midnight Edition

This will more than likely be one of the most highly visited units at the show with its striking black-on-black exterior and larger-than-usual Cougar logo. The fifth wheel has an automotive look with its stand-out appearance, Spencer noted, and it features pass-through storage and Goodyear tires as well as new Lippert ABS brakes. Dine outside with an outdoor kitchen featuring a refrigerator and griddle. Enjoy the cooling of two air conditioners as well as SolarFlex Discover 440i package offering a 440-watt array of solar collection, a 2000-watt inverter, and a smart battery monitor and additional power features.

One of the most notable interior features is an abundance of counter space for food preparation and a fully adjustable height TV. And tucked away is a huge dinette that can double as an office space, which can fold up and disappear under the kitchen counter.

This unit also features a king bed in a 30-foot unit that does not looked crowded. Ample storage space is provided in a virtual walk-in closet.

Spencer also highlighted the Outback OBX 17 BH, which will feature five floorpans. On display was a bunkhouse model, which featured lots of flexible storage space, even for something as large as a bicycle. Also inside is a three-burner stove, with oven and microwave. Designed to be used off road, it also offers solar and rugged tires, this single-axle unit is towable by larger SUVs.

Ken Walters

Ken Walters, president of Jayco and its Entegra Coach, Highland Ridge and Starcraft RV divisions, said he was especially looking forward to the public getting a first look at the company’s 2024 model year products.

“We introduced our model year ’24 stuff on the motorized side in May, and then we introduced the towable stuff in August at our big dealer homecoming event in Vegas,” he said. “We’re really excited about the new model year stuff. We really genuinely believe that it’s the best product we’ve ever taken to market. We are 55 years of Jayco legacy. We’re dug in on quality and employee and dealer relationships. It’s the thing we work on every day. We’re coming out of an interesting RV market and we’re going into a fall show season, and I think it’ll be challenging, but we love where we’re positioned with our product. We love where we’re positioned with our company and our people. We’re prepared to win.”

NeXus Triumph

Claude Donati, CEO of NeXus RV, Elkhart, Ind., showed the newly designed Triumph 29-foot Class C motorhome that comes on a Ford 350 or 450 chassis. Its length gives the flexibility to camp in a National Park, Donati noted. It’s plumbed for a washer/dryer and features a king bed. The living room features a dinette across from a sleeper sofa. It has a 7,500 pound towing capacity and it is the only coach with a high strength steel cage for added stability.

Exhibiting for the first time at the Hershey show is Brinkley RV, which continues to rapidly grow its production campus in Goshen, Ind. The company brought three Model Z units as well as a Model G toy hauler to the show. Brinkley, a year-old company, includes several principals with decades of RV industry experience Their units are designed for full-time living and have a decidedly different feel inside.

Also being shown to the public for the first time is the new Freightliner V series suspension system which unites the proven V ride suspension with a dynamic new VFS front suspension to deliver front to back stability, responsiveness and comfort with IFS-like performance.

Show attendees will certainly want to put these three manufacturers on their “must see” list of places to visit. 

Source: https://rvbusiness.com/hershey-rv-show-kicks-off-as-hundreds-storm-the-gates/